Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace
by elisheva
Summary: Collection of unrelated stories in different POVs and different pairings.
1. The Pretender

**A/N: I am not a fan or 'song fics'. This collection of stories represents an idea when I was listening to my favorite band Foo Fighter. Oh, and they are not mine. How about that finale...Enjoy!**

* * *

Sean Standridge.

The first time I head his name I was devastated.

Another one in the long lists of 'Boyfriends- Girls- Have- Because- Spencer- Can- Just- Be- Friends'.

Not that I'm bitter about it. I'm happy for _them_- the girls. Glad they found someone who made them smile. But I'm just friends with some of the most beautiful women.

Which brings me back to Sean Standridge.

Sean and Emily Prentiss, friend, co-worker, partner, had been dating nearly four months when Emily turned to me one night as we were all about to leave.

"Hey, Reid. Wanna go on a date tonight?"

Heart in throat I made sure to clear my expression before answering. "Though you were already spoken for, Emily," I told her with a small smile.

She grinned back. "Well, I'll be there. Sean has someone he'd like you to meet."

As I swallowed my disappointment I brushed my longish hair back from my face. "He doesn't even know me. We've met once."

"Surely you trust my descriptions to be accurate."

"Um, I don't know, Emily."

Her smile widened. "Well, be sure because we're due at the restaurant in 45 minutes."

Panic became me. "I have to go home and take a shower. I have to dress."

"Spencer, you dress like you're on a first date everyday. Now, come on. You'll be fine."

She put my satchel in my hands and dragged me out of the office while I protested all the way.

* * *

Julia McGovern.

25 years old.

Bank teller.

Details of my 'date' given to me on the ride over to the chosen restaurant floated in my head as we grew closer. Not that Emily knew much. "A friend of Sean's," she kept reiterating.

We pulled up to Teatro Goldoni and I wanted to roll my eyes at the pretentiousness but my stomach felt like it made a leap into my throat, though it was a physical impossibility, and I could do nothing else.

Emily found a close parking place and put the car out of drive before reaching over to squeeze my cold hand. "Spencer, don't worry. Just be yourself."

I tried to smile but made more of a grimace. "How's that going to help? It hasn't worked yet."

To her credit she didn't give me a pity look. Instead, she scowled. "I've never known you to be a fatalist, Reid. There are plenty of people who appreciate you for who you are. If this girl likes you, great. If not, who cares."

I tried to protest. "But, Emily--"

She dropped my hand and opened her door. "But nothing," she said decisively, forcing me out of the car as well. "We're going in there and we're having a good time, damnit."

I had met Sean on one other occasion about two months prior when he appeared at an after-case drink the team had together. Tall, suave, handsome- the man seemed to have it all. I wanted to dislike him but his winning personality prevented it.

As we walked towards the restaurant's entrance Emily took hold of my sleeve. "You think I might try to escape?" I joked.

She gave me a sober look. "You might."

I snorted but did the gentleman thing and held open the door for her. And immediately saw Sean. Beside him stood a petite, attractive redhead who was as visibly nervous as I felt.

Sean beamed his toothy smile at us and steered the woman who had to be Julia to us. "Glad you guys made it. We should be seated soon."

I looked around at the classic waiting area. "I thought you had to have a reservation."

Sean's grin got impressively wider. "It helps to know the owner."

Out of a need to be polite I nodded. "I suppose the old adage 'it's all in who you know' is proven true on many occasions."

Sean casually threw his arm around Emily's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Even Emily here has used connections to her advantage."

"Sean!" she exclaimed in outrage.

I bristled in anger. "If you are referring Prentiss' appointment to the BAU she had proven herself ten times over that she's perfect for the job _despite_ who she is related to."

He threw his hands in the air to show he was defeated. Then he turned his head to Prentiss. "Wow. I didn't think it was possible to get the good doctor so riled up unless it was about sub atoms."

His humor was not appreciated by me. I scowled at him. "The good doctor is still here, you know."

A voice beside me caught my attention. "Perhaps Sean will stop trying to be rude and introduce all of us instead."

Emily detached herself from her boyfriend and stepped forward, hand extended. "I've a better idea. Let's cut him out all together. Emily Prentiss."

"Julia McGovern." She turned her light green eyes on me. "And you must be Spencer Reid."

"All day long," I managed.

She giggled. "Please tell me you are as caught off guard by all this as I am."

I was relieved and relaxed slightly. "Immensely. I'm lucky Emily allowed me to grab my things."

"Good. That's something we have in common."

I smiled back at her as the concierge came to inform us our table was ready.

On the ride home I was all smiles. "Thanks for doing this, Emily. That was fun. Sean was bearable AND he paid for the meal. And Julia. Wasn't she nice."

"Hm. Nice."

I looked over at her. "Are you ok? You seem distracted."

She gave me a smile. "Just tired."

* * *

As the months progressed the happier I became the more pensive Emily grew. Finally I grew tired of the silence between us and sought to bring it out in the open. My timing, however, was not the best.

"What emotions are you harboring?" I asked her mid-flight as everyone became settled. Suddenly all eyes were on us.

Her face flared slightly but her tone was smooth. "I don't understand what you mean."

I was exasperated. "I mean, what's the matter? Why are you so distant lately?"

"I...thought you needed more time for Julia. I don't want to be the cause of any problems."

I was incredulous. "Emily, she's completely secure about my relationship with you. That can't be what this is about."

She arched an eyebrow from across the table. "Oh? Why not?"

"That theory would only apply if you were refraining from going out after work. But your aloofness carries over into our work relationship and is causing disconcertion."

Derek Morgan nodded next to me. "Even I've noticed it, Em."

She sighed. "Fine. Julia seems nice but I get some weird vibe from her."

"Vibe?" I repeated.

Morgan's eyebrows shot up. "You mean you're jealous?"

"What?" she answered, just as surprised. "Jealous? No! Why would I be jealous of _her_?"

Her tone made me frown. "What exactly do you mean by that connotation?"

Emily focused on me. "There's something off about her."

"Off?" I repeated in a slightly higher pitch. "Of course she's 'off'. She likes me. Or is that what you're basing this off of."

She pointed at me. "See. This is exactly why I haven't discuss this with you. I knew you'd get defensive and it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"How could it not, Emily? She's my girlfriend."

Emily winced. "Don't say that, Reid. You can get better."

"In case you didn't notice I'm not like the others, Emily. If I breakup with her based on your feelings I would lose a good thing in my life."

She grabbed my cold hands and looked directly into my eyes. "Spencer, come on. You know something's wrong. Your criminal gut is telling you. I'm the voice inside your head you refuse to hear."

I pulled my hands from him. "Funny, because that's the way I feel about Sean." I refused to talk about it the rest of the trip.

* * *

Emily's words may not have been revisited out loud but they stayed foremost in my mind, making me want to see Julia even more once we got back in town. Eagerness overcome higher thinking and I quickly made my way to the bank where Julia worked.

Only she wasn't there.

At all.

They had never even heard of her.

I stood in the lobby as I called Emily.

"Maybe you have the wrong bank," she suggested.

"She told me the intersection, Em."

"I don't understand. Sean says she's know here for years. He got her that job because he's friends with the manager."

"I know," I told her. "I even talked to the manager. He doesn't anyone named Sean."

"Well, this is just a flustercluck."

I had to laugh despite the situation. "I'm coming over."

* * *

"Hey, guys," Morgan greeted us the next day in the office.

Emily and I just grunted back.

He held up his hands defensively. "Whatever you two go into last night must NOT have been good."

I sighed, knowing he would only pester until answered. "Emily was right about Julia."

"Oh, man," he groaned and sat on my desk. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

Emily spoke up. "It seems Reid was also right about Sean."

He crossed his arms and waited silently for us to continue.

"That Adams case we closed up in Miami," Emily said. "They were that second couple."

"They were pretenders," I started out.


	2. Let it Die

"Hey, guys," Special Agent Emily Prentiss said from her desk. "What's a five letter word for a rich and powerful person?"

"Nabob," Dr. Spencer Reid supplied from his own desk, not looking up from the paper he was reading. "N-A-B-O-B."

"Thanks." She placed the word into the crossword puzzle then bit her lip to try to solve some more clues. A couple more minutes filled with the rustling of papers and other teams talking she looked up again. "Reid, eight letters. Banter."

"Hey!" their other partner Special Agent Derek Morgan piped up. "Why not ask me?"

Both Prentiss and Reid looked up and smiled. "Do you know it?" she asked.

"Well, no--"

"Reid?"

The 27 year old genius thought only for a brief second. "Try badinage. B-A-D-I-N-A-G-E."

Another couple of minutes went by before she got stuck again. "Um, I'm stuck," she admitted aloud.

Reid put his readings to the side and stared intently at her. "Want some help?"

"More help, you mean," Morgan said, snidely.

The duo ignored him. "Why not," Emily said. "I need a seven letter word starting with a 'B' and ending in a 'US'. Clue 'bad mood'."

"Try B-I-L-I-O-U-S."

Morgan snorted. "A walking dictionary, ladies and gentlemen."

Emily raised her eyebrows at him. "How about a six letter word for 'bad mood' starting with a 'Mor' and ending in 'gan'."

They started playfully arguing back and forth. Reid shook his head at them then jumped slightly at the desk phone ringing for quite possibly the first time that day. "Special Agent Spencer Reid," he answered, sounding quite professional he thought.

There were sounds of rapid breathing but no one said anything in response.

"Hello?" he tried again. "If you don't answer I'll be forced to hang up."

"Don't hang up!" a breathless voice said in a rush to keep him present. "Spencer, I need you."

He frowned as he tried to place the unfamiliar yet familiar female. "Who is this?"

She laughed. "Don't tell me the years have dampened your prefect memory."

It was the laughter that triggered the bank of memories he had stored up. Reid immediately straightened his back and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Rebecca."

"You do remember. Tell me, Spencer, do you ever think of me?"

"Of course."

"You're so considerate."

His mind raced. What could she possibly want? It had been nearly ten years since they said their goodbyes. He concentrated on her previous words. "You said you needed me. What's going on?"

"I need help and you're the only one who I can think of, Spencer. The only one I trust." Her voice cracked as she spoke to him.

"Becca, what happened?"

She took a noisy breath. "It's my husband. He's dead."

"I'm sorry," was the automatic response.

"Worthless bastard," she spit out vehemently. "The police think I did it. They surprise me with information that Henry's airplane company has been smuggling drugs for Columbia for years then have the balls to ask me what I knew about it."

Reid rubbed his tired eyes as he listened between the lines. "They couldn't have arrested you without evidence. The worst they could have come up with was the 'don't flee' until they found something."

"Spencer, please. When they tell you not to leave town they are trying to find something to incriminate you."

"Uh, Becca, where are you?" He had a feeling...

"DC."

"You fled?" His voice had risen and he could feel the eyes of his coworkers on him.

"What was I supposed to do, Spencer?"

Aware of his not-so-subtle audience Reid hunched over the phone and made an effort to keep his voice down. "Becca, if they didn't think you did it they sure will think you did it now!"

"They already think I did it! I wasn't going to stay there like a sitting duck until they found something that would stick." She sighed. "What am I going to do?"

"Turn yourself in. To me." It just slipped out but he thought it would work.

"What?"

"You obviously trust me or you would not have called. If you turn yourself in to me it becomes my case."

She was quiet for a moment. "What if... would they dismiss you because of the past?"

He found himself looking up and his eyes connected with Emily's brown ones. "My friends will take care of you, Becca." If you didn't do it, he silently added. "Where are you?"

"Spencer, I'll come to you. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Reid unconsciously took in the time as he hung up the desk phone and warily looked to his two partners. He gave them a slight grin. "Have another word problem, Emily?" he tried.

"No way, kid," Morgan said. "Ain't getting off that easy."

He grimaced. "I suppose it's too much to ask that someone- or ones- didn't ease drop."

"Reid, what the hell is going on?"

* * *

He went for the simple truth. "When I was taking senior classes in college--"

"When you were 12," Morgan added, then ducked a balled piece of paper Prentiss threw at him.

Reid blushed. "Not quite 12. Anyway one of the advanced classes I took was taught by Professor Rebecca Holland. She is widely known in her field to this day and she is being framed for her husband's death." He gave the little details he knew.

Emily shifted in her seat as she kept her serious gaze on Reid. "What if she did kill her husband?" she asked him out of necessity.

He winced but shrugged his narrow shoulders. "Then we turn her over to be arrested."

"This is bad, Reid," Morgan commented.

"It's the least I could do for an old friend."

Emily narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied her youngest but smartest partner. "How long has she been married, Reid?"

"About 12 years, I believe."

"So, she was your professor?"

"Correct. I also helped her during the spring and summer classes of that following year until I moved away."

Morgan frowned slightly. "Since she's turning herself in to us we better tell Rossi and Hotch about this."

Reid stood and adjusted his tie nervously. "I'll go now."

"Hey, Reid?" Emily asked before he got too far.

"Yes?"

"The police- they're going to want to know why she turned to you. Is there something we need to know before we start this?"

"We're friends but as soon as she comes to me I will turn her to you and be nothing but moral support." Then he was gone to talk to their head honchos.

Professor Rebecca Holland looked nothing like Emily Prentiss had imagined on her way down with Reid to collect her from the front lobby. The woman who flew into Reid's long arms was tall and wearing minimum makeup, oversized t-shirt and jeans, and her dirty blond hair was in a messy ponytail. She clung to Reid for a long moment before extracting herself to pull away slightly to look at him fully. She took a hand to finger his longest hair. "Goodness, Spencer." She eyed the rest of him. "You've grown more handsome with time. But you are far too skinny."

Emily snorted at his blushing face. "That's what we are always trying to tell him," she said from her position next to the genius.

The professor jumped, removing her hands from Reid like she had been shocked. "And who are you?" she asked, politely.

"Becca, this is Special Agent Emily Prentiss. She's going to be helping you with your...situation."

Prentiss held out her hand. "A pleasure meeting you, Professor Holland, although it's a shame it's under these conditions. Anyone who could maintain the attention of Reid here and actually _teach_ him something is high ranks in my book."

"Thank you," the older woman said as she accepted the agents proffered hand. "But, since you are going to save my freedom you may as well drop the title. Just call me Becca."

Prentiss shifted closer to Reid as people walked past them. "I hope you understand I can't offer the same informality."

"Yes, dear, I do. Shall we get started then?"

Prentiss led the way as Reid and Becca followed closely behind.

* * *

That night Prentiss hesitated in front of an apartment door. Finally she got up the nerve to knock.

Reid appeared on the other side in a t-shirt and pajama pants, looking surprised. "Emily?" He stepped back. "Come in."

The neatness and organization didn't surprise her. The coziness of the place did. She turned to him. "Hey, Spencer. Sorry about the late visit."

"No problem. I wasn't asleep or anything." He moved from the door and gestured towards his couch. "Take your coat off. Have a seat." He sat across from her as she did just as he suggested. "What's wrong?"

She unwrapped her scarf from her neck before speaking. "I know you stayed for some of the interview until Hotch suggested you leave for the day because of your close proximity to the suspect. I wanted to let you know how it went."

Reid gave her an easy smile. "Emily, you're the best."

She didn't smile back. "Please remember I come here as your friend."

He stiffened at that. "Why? What did she tell you?"

"Professor Holland gave all the right answers. But she was lying. The thing is, Reid, I don't know if I can prove she's lying."

Reid leaned back in his chair and tried to think as if the case was any other case. "You need to establish a pattern of lying. Once you show her you know what she's up to she'll either confess to lying or lie more but more foolishly."

"Giving me the rope to figuratively hang her," she finished. The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Prentiss suddenly leaned forward to gently clasp his hands. "Spencer, I need to know."

He swallowed hard but was otherwise still. "Need to know what, Emily?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes or smack his hand. Instead she just kept looking him in the eyes. "I need to know what she is to you and what happened between the two of you ten years ago."

He hesitated a bit too long. "Nothing, Emily. On both questions."

She sighed. "Reid. I'm a trained profiler who sees you nearly every single day. I can prove you're lying. Please help me. Did you two have an affair?"

"No!" He blushed deeply. "I was underage. She didn't have an affair with me."

"But she did have an affair," she said, matter-of-factly.

He cleared his throat. "She's pretty now. She was even more beautiful then and then first woman to actually take me seriously aside from my mother. We spent time together outside the school but it was always about school things. Naturally, I developed a crush on her although she was my married professor." He grimaced and ran his fingers through his hair. "That last summer I was just helping out to be with her. I went there early and caught her with another graduate student."

Prentiss decided to forgo the platitudes. "Did she know about your crush?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"I think she's hoping to use that in her favor."

* * *

Special Agent Emily Prentiss really loved her job. Most days. Some days she wished she had picked a different career line. Days that were few and far between. This was one of those days.

"I've told you everything you need to know!" Professor Rebecca Holland was getting frustrated by the middle of the second day of interrogation.

Emily was too. "Please, Professor. I'm just trying to get all the facts straight."

"If you don't have the facts straight now then I'm not sure I'm confident you know what you're doing," she snapped.

"Well, I assure you I do know what I'm doing but you're not exactly giving me enough to help you," Prentiss snapped back. "In fact, had this not been a favor for a friend who IS confident in my abilities I'd be more than happy to get this off my desk and move on with my own cases."

Rebecca's expression changed. "How is Spencer? I expected him last night."

Emily kept her own expression clear. "He's fine. Your husband was bringing in a decent check although other small businesses have faded away. You didn't think any of that was odd?"

Rebecca sighed. "As I've told you before, Agent Prentiss, my husband and I have- had- separate banking accounts at separate banks. I had no clue what he was bringing home. I was making decent enough at the university I didn't need his money."

"Why separate accounts?"

"It was a better solution than divorce."

Emily took a deep breath and changed her line of questioning. "Did your husband know about your extramarital affairs?"

Rebecca was indeed taken aback by that. "Where on earth did you hear about that?" Then understanding came to her face. "Spencer. He must have found out somehow. Always was around, clinging to me."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "So, your husband?"

"Never found out. But that was years ago."

"You haven't recently had a sexual relationship with another man?"

"I learned my lesson eight years ago when I was nearly caught. I could have been fired from the board for that kind of behavior. I decided then it wasn't worth it to me."

Emily shifted in her chair. "The police have Heath in custody."

There was a slight flicker in Rebecca's eyes, nothing more. "Is that name supposed to mean something?"

"Heath Moore? I believe he's a student of yours."

Rebecca taped a finger against her chin. "Ah, yes. But why is he in custody?"

Emily tilted her head slightly to study her 'prey'. "I believe he turned himself in for the murder of your husband."

"Heath did this?" Rebecca looked appalled. "I don't believe it!"

"Oh, I think you do."

Rebecca's face froze. "What are you trying to insinuate?"

Emily switched gears. "Your husband had a separate back account. Are you listed on that account?"

"Yes, of course."

"Mr. Holland was confirmed to have been in Columbia when some money from his account was transferred to an account in Heath Moore's name. Care to explain that?"

"Someone must have stolen Henry's identity. Or mine," she offered, giving the appearance of being helpful.

Emily took folder in front of her and turned to a black and white photo that was blown up for detail. "This was taken from the security camera on the day in question. That's you. The bank teller has already confirmed your identity. Is that Heath?"

Becca crossed her arms. "I'd like a lawyer."

The interview door opened and a pale Reid entered the room. "I have a question I hope you'll answer, Becca."

She gave a smirk. "Why not, for old time's sake."

"Why did you use me, use our connection , to drag me into this case?"

"Oh, that's easy. You were so pitifully in love with me. I thought you still had it for me." Her smile turned. "I was wrong. Why'd you have to go and let it die?"

"Becca, you fell off that pedestal many years ago," he told her before turning and leaving the room.


	3. EraseReplace

**A/N: Reminder: characters not mine. Thanks for the support! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ugh. Emily Prentiss could feel the light hitting her closed eyelids and the pain in her head was instantaneous. She half moaned and threw an arm over her eyes to shield the horrible sun. Shivering slightly she reached blindly for the hotel comforter, pulled it over her head then turned to her side to bury herself for a little while longer.

Her body contacted someone else.

Her eyes popped open despite her hangover, she sat straight up then scrambled backwards too far and fell off the bed, jarring her abused head more.

It might have been the crash, it might have been her afterwards curse but her bed partner was suddenly awake and peering down at her. "Emily, you ok?"

Emily suddenly realized she was completely naked. She snatched the comforter off to cover herself and came to the conclusion that he was more than likely extremely naked by the way he blushed and grabbed the remaining sheet to gather around her waist.

She stood, wrapping her claimed bedding around her, and glanced around the room to see a knocked over chair and various clothes everywhere. She looked back to her bad. "Uh, what _happened_ last night, Reid?"

Spencer Reid ran his long fingers through his hair as he, too, surveyed the damage. "I honestly don't know but I think I've got an idea."

She sat on the bed beside him in a slight daze. "Oh, Spencer, this is not good."

"I remember sitting in the hotel bar with everyone," he said. "And they kept bringing more and more drinks. Did we pay?"

She looked over at him. "I think that's the least of our worries."

He glanced back at her. "Right. At some point you said you had something to show me."

She gasped. "We barely made it out of the elevator." Her face went into her hands. "Oh my God, they have video feed."

He put his hand on her shoulder but removed it as she jerked away. "What do you suggest we do?"

She turned towards him, her eyes burning. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked, skeptically.

"No more word about it. Please don't talk about it. Don't think about it. It goes away."

Reid tried to hide the hurt in his eyes. "Wow. So, we're just going to erase the memory?"

"Replace the memory," she corrected. She gently took his hands in hers. "Which neither of us can actually remember. I don't want anything to be awkward . If there's something between us it should be when we're sober and preferably not hung over."

He flashed her a quick smile then looked at the clock. "I need to get back to my room before the others wake up."

After he left she laid back down to sleep a little longer, already missing his warmth.


	4. Long Road to Ruin

When the BAU team was handed the case and they all looked at the file a chill went through every single one of them. Three women had gone missing without a single trace from the city. All were in their mid-30s, all brunette with shoulder length hair, all independent women, all high-powered jobs.

Special Agent Emily Prentiss had gone pale at the description that could very well have been hers. "Except the high-powered job," she joked. "I'm just a lowly minion."

As they gathered their bags perpetually packed for a trip she gave her fellow agents Reid and Morgan props for not overly staring at her. She also knew her boss and lead agent SA Aaron Hotchner and second-in-command SA David Rossi were discussing whether she should be allowed to make the trip. This was confirmed when she was called upstairs.

She gave her bag to Morgan to hold, flashed a smiled at the worried Reid then climbed the stairs with purpose.

"Prentiss," Hotch started, "we called you in here--"

"I know why you called me," she assured him, interrupting only so that he wouldn't have to explain. "I can do this."

Rossi stepped up. "It's just that those girls could be you, Emily."

"I don't give a damn what they look like," she told them. "They need to be found and I can help." They seemed unmoved. "Please don't leave me here. If I were missing I'd want every available body looking for me."

Hotch seemed to crack. "It could be dangerous if the UNSUB targets you."

She smiled. "It would be dangerous for the UNSUB. But I promise I'll be extra careful and stay with the boys or JJ at all times," she said quickly.

Reid, Morgan, and JJ were waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. "Well?" Morgan asked for them.

She took her bag from him. "You three are now my security detail."

It seemed Hotch strived to keep Emily out of the public eye. JJ basically took up her legwork while Emily was left behind at the station with Reid and the occasional telephone voice of Penelope Garcia. She didn't mind. She was working the case, helping those girls, and Reid was cute when he was overly protective.

It was always frustrating to Emily when the team had a decent lead but no daylight in which to run with it. Time was of the essence but even the agents needed to sleep several hours. They had gotten there just that morning and were already making good headway. However, try as she might Emily found she couldn't sleep.

From the soft sounds in the bed across the room JJ seemed to be having no problem. The connecting door was open to Morgan and Reid's room- an order passed down from Hotch- and she could hear their snores as well.

Finally, she sighed and got out of bed. She wondered if she would wake JJ up if she took a hot bath. She turned on the water then checked her room companion. Nothing.

Smiling she leaned over the tub to check the temperature, stood to start shucking her clothes when someone grabbed her from behind and pressed a rag over her face.

Don't breathe in! she demanded of herself as she tried to break free. But in the end she had to take a breath and the sweet smell of Chloroform filled her nostrils and her brain.

* * *

She woke up with a start in what appeared to be a converted jail cell. Her head felt woozy, for lack of a better work, but she forced herself to stand up. She noted she was still in her t-shirt and terry cloth pants she wore to bed.

Looking around she found a cot and a toilet, confirming the cell theory. However, where there used to be a window a sheet of metal was bolted and instead of bars around her there seemed to be drywall. Only the door showed a view out.

Emily forced her headache and fear down and drew in a breath to stay calm. Looking for anything to help her she saw there was a gap between the "walls" and the ceiling. She gave considerable thought to climbing on the cot when movement attracted her gaze to the door.

The man was tall- probably the height of Reid- Caucasian with dark hair and features. And looked completely familiar.

"Officer Shane?" she asked, taking a wobbly step forward. "Please help me."

He laughed softly. "I have, dear Emily. I've taken you from your friends who only care about themselves and given you a family who finally loves you."

She went cold. "You're the one? You've taken these girls? But you're an officer of the law."

He wrapped his hands around the bars and she noticed how large they were. "Officer of the law, miscreant, deviant, federal agent. When you're got no home, no life, no love, Emily. When you've got no stranger singing in your name you are forced to take matters into your own hands. Now rest. The headache will subside soon." With that he walked away.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out to him, knowing it wouldn't help. She listened as his footsteps faded then scrambled onto the hard bed. Standing on her tiptoes she could just reach the top of her thin yet sturdy drywall.

When she tore her nail she flinched but kept on her task. She barely noticed when the others broke to a quick. Her hand was bleeding by the time she was able to tear enough to see the next cell over. The bars were still there which was no help to her but she saw another girl lying in her cot, eyes open.

"Hey," Emily stage-whispered to the girl. "You're Mary, right? I'm Emily. I'm a federal agent. I'm going to get you out of here." Emily waited but the girl didn't move. "Mary?" Then she realized the girl never blinked. "Oh my God."

"What the hell have you done?" Before she could get down Shane was in the cell and throwing her to the ground.

Emily saw stars as her head bounced off of the cement floor but she still kicked and punched where she could as he retaliated. Finally, a hard kick to her ribs stopped her fight.

"You killed them," she gasped as she curled over her offended side. "How could you have a family when you killed all of them?"

He jerked her up. "They weren't fertile."

She went cold. "But Mary has only been missing several days."

He shrugged as he pushed her to the cot. "She decided to end her life. She couldn't handle me."

Emily renewed her fight. She bit, scratched, did everything she could think of. It wasn't enough to overpower him but it was enough to get him to knock her cold.

* * *

When she woke her whole body ached. She gave thanks that her clothes were intact and promised herself time to breakdown when she got out of there. Because she was getting out of there.

She ignored the twinge from her side and hoped her ribs weren't broken. Then she studied her surroundings closely. The cot was movable, one that had been just brought in. Emily sat on the ground and got to work.

She heard him coming this time. She made herself stand docilely next to the cot. When Shane appeared she smiled shyly. "I'm sorry for my behavior before," she told him.

He seemed to like that. He walked in the cell, bringing water. "What changed your mind, my love?"

"I want to be the one to carry your child." She gave him a mischievous smile and carefully lounged back on the cot, arms above her head, one hand around the loose cot leg. As he leaned over her she shifted her weight down and brought the metal leg up to hit his head with all her might. He groaned and collapsed on her.

She shoved him off, hit him again for good measure then took his keys to lock him in the cell.

She looked around and found a landline, praying that it work. It did. She dialed whatever number came to mind.

"Garcia."

Her voice nearly made her sob. "Garcia," was all she could manage.

It was enough. "Emily?! Where are you? Are you ok?"

"I don't know," she answered to both. "The other girls are dead, I think. I might have killed Shane. Please send them to get me."

"They'll be right there, sugar. Don't hang up."

She didn't. But she did allow herself her much deserved breakdown.


	5. Come Alive

I hesitated. Just for a split second. But it was enough. I kicked the apartment door open, shouting out the nondescript federal warning, gun facing the dark place.

I watched as the child went to her knees and fell to the floor. The UNSUB paid no attention to the child's blood staining his shoes as he stared at me, holding his weapon of choice- a long butcher knife dripping with blood.

Long after my team hauled the guy away, after the little girl's cut body was taken by the ME, after the pictures were finished being taken I stood there, staring at the spot where the pool of blood was starting to congeal.

"Emily," Morgan said, breaking me from my thoughts. "Come on. We're through here."

On the ride home when the others tried to talk to me I closed my ears. Finally, Hotch pulled me to him, everyone else giving us as much space our plane would allow.

"Prentiss, you seem to be taking this extremely hard."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. He was a friend but he was ultimately my boss.

He leaned forward as if he wanted to reach out and touch me but he didn't. "We caught our guy. He'll kill no more."

I finally looked from the window to his kind face in anger. "What about those other six children he murdered? It doesn't bring them back."

"And nothing will," he told me matter-of-factly. "There was nothing we could do for them."

I clinched my fists in my lap. "I could have. I could have saved her."

"We don't know that, Emily."

"If I had just reacted faster. The second I hesitated that bastard sliced her throat." My own throat clinched up as tears threatened to come.

This time he did take my fist into his bigger hand. "Initial reports suggests she was abused just as the others were. In my eyes it was probably a mercy she doesn't have to suffer any longer."

I snatched my hand away and stood in anger. "She was five years old, Hotch. Do you think it is a mercy that she'll never grow up? That her parents will never see her alive again?"

"You're taking this too personal, Prentiss. You need to think objectively."

"Are we done here?" I snapped.

His face closed and he was suddenly the boss again. "No. You are to take the next couple of days off. That's an order. You need some time to clear your head."

"Fine." I stalked to the back of the plane, away from all the kind eyes of my friends. Reid attempted to distract me with a game of chess but I wasn't in the mood so I pretended I was asleep.

At home it was horrible. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the last moments of Cynthia Dearing's life. Finally to stop the images, the noises, I turned up my favorite music as loud as I dared and broke out the nearly full bottle of Jack Daniel's I generally reserved for company.

Sterilized with alcohol I could hardly feel me anymore. I appreciated that feeling. When I finally passed out I dreamed of nothing.

The third, or was it fourth?, day of my non-voluntary leave I woke up on my living room couch aware of a severe hangover and persistent knocking on the door.

I opened it to see Morgan with fist in the air poised to knock again and Reid standing nervously behind him. "Hey, guys." I tried for nonchalant. "What's up?"

"Emily, thank God."

Morgan frowned at me. "You not answering your phone, girl?"

I shrugged then stepped back to allow them access in. "I thought I was off work."

"We were worried about you, Em," Reid told me, brushing his hair from his face.

I mustered a smile. "Well, as you can see I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah," Morgan grunted. He took a look around and I winced as I realized he saw the empty bottles of Jack I hadn't bothered throwing away. "Go take a shower and get dressed," he told me.

"For what?" I protested.

"Because I doubt you've had any real food since we got back from Montana. Because we need to get the alcohol out of your system before you come back to work tomorrow. And because this pity party has got to end _now_."

"I'm not having a 'pity party'," I argued.

"You are," he argued back, "and don't insult us by trying to lie about it."

Reid spoke up. "We know you better than anyone else, Emily. And we've all been where you are. And trust me, you shouldn't do it alone. You don't have to."

"You are acting like you're the one that died, pretty girl," Morgan added. "Now's the time to come alive."

As I took my shower as dictated I let myself have a cry. And it was comforting to know when I emerged back out into the living room, I wasn't alone. Reid was right- I didn't have to be.


	6. Stranger Things Have Happened

As the front door slams I feel a coldness stab my stomach, wondering if it's the last time, hoping it wasn't. As I stand in the living room we've decorated I realize after all this time she still finds ways to surprise me. As I sit on the couch I wait for her to walk back through the door.

_"Reid?" Emily Prentiss looked more than a little surprised to see her young coworker Spencer Reid appear in the hotel bar she was currently drinking alone in. "What are you doing here?"_

_He shrugged his thin shoulders and pushed back his longish brown hair as if nervous. "Couldn't sleep. I was going to go for a walk then saw you here."_

_She smiled at his lack of sweater or even a vest and realized he was no doubt as dressed down as he ever got. "I think a walk would be nice."_

_His face lit up. "Really?"_

_She finished her beer, laid a couple of dollars down for the bartender's tip, then walked with Reid into the still, cool night._

_"She looked so beautiful in the ethereal moonlit night," I say out loud. "I thought to myself how much I'd love to kiss her at that moment."_

_Emily looked up at Reid and noticed him studying her in the light the full moon was casting. She smiled. "What?"_

_He blushed. "Nothing."_

_Her smile widened as she stopped her walk to face him. "You looked like you wanted to say something."_

_"I...It's just nice to spend time together. Sometimes it's hard to lone it."_

_On impulse she took his hand, stepped to him, and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. Once they parted she whispered to him a line she had heard at a forgotten time. "You are not alone, dear loneliness."_

Our fight starts out simple enough. When a couple has been together for nearly two years they tend to be able to read each others mind but that doesn't seem to stop the bickering, the petty arguments. Arguments about household chores, the bills, even the toilet seat lid. "I can change but who do you want me to be?" type of arguments. Our relationship is different. Our cases strain us, the travel is torture, our friends can't know we are together and we know we are constantly being watched.

_Spencer Reid felt he was being overly paranoid. Ever since he had shared a kiss with his coworker Emily Prentiss he had been extremely cautious of his every word, every movement. Now it had been several days, this being their first full day back in the office at home and yet nothing had been mentioned between them. Not that they had had any time alone._

_He was so engrossed in his report that when his name was called briskly he nearly jumped out of his seat. He looked up to see Morgan snickering at his desk while Emily stood in front of his own._

_She smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry. I just wanted to know if you wanted more coffee."_

_"Uh, yeah, thanks." He tried not to be obvious as he watched her walk away._

_Reid was getting back into his work when his phone vibrated, ruining his concentration once again. Frowning at it he realized he had received a text message._

_-I want 2 cook dinner 4 U 2nite-_

_A smile broke across his face._

"I still can't believe she let me stay the night," I say, mind spinning as my perfect memory races through various times since then. Each have their own titles in my banks.

_Spencer and Emily have a date_

_Emily and Spencer spend weekend together_

_Spencer cooks dinner for Emily_

_Emily meets Spencer's mom_

_Spencer meets Emily's parents, knocking their socks off, as the expression goes_

_Happy couple move in together_

And the latest memory of them:

_Spencer Reid and Emily Prentiss get discovered, busted out, realized, caught, noticed, found._

We have been together for two years without a slip until today. And the slip is not a small one quickly covered over. Nope. It is something in front of everyone that could only be construed as the actual truth.

_Emily rounded the corner into their area to see Morgan and Reid gathered at her desk. "What?"_

_They grinned at her like fools. "You know how you've been complaining about your computer...?"_

_She gasped as she moved closer. "You guys got me a new computer?"_

_Morgan pointed his thumb to Reid. "His idea."_

_"Really?" Emily was so excited. She had been dealing with a defunct computer for weeks. She walked up to him. "I love it."_

_"I love you." It had slipped out but was the truth._

_Her eyes lit up. "Oh, Spencer!" Forgetting where they were, overwhelmed with emotion for hearing those words for the first time she pulled his head into a well practiced kiss._

_"Prentiss! Reid! Here now!"_

_The kiss had apparently been seen by all._

_Red faced they both went upstairs to face their doom._

It feels like hours while I wait for her to walk through the door. As I replay our fight consisting of arguments on each side of whether we should stay together and risk one of us losing our dream job or break up and risk scrutiny the rest of our career with out dream job while losing each other when I hear the doorknob turn. I stand nervously as Emily comes in.

She gives me a tiny smile. "Hey."

I notice her face has fresh tear stains. "Hey."

She locks the door then comes to sit on the couch, turning to face me when I join her. She takes my hand. "I went to Hotch's house," she announces.

"Why?" I blurt out.

She juts her chin and squeezes my hand in her grip. "Because I want it both." Her mouth comes up a bit. "He was appalled he missed it for two years."

I ignore the nerves that insist on bunching. "What did he say?"

Her smile finally widens. "We have to keep our personal life away from anything work related. He said he's had no issues with our work period but he can't control the higher ups response if they get wind."

I smile back. "Wonderful."

She places a hand on my cheek. "Spencer, I never had the chance to tell you. I love you, too."

Stranger things have happened I know.


	7. Cheer Up Boys

**A/N: Good grief! I posted another story! Sorry for the confusion! This one is short but I will post soon! Enjoy!**

* * *

Special Agent David Rossi waited for Special Agent Supervisor Aaron Hotchner to finish his speech at the team meeting before he stepped forward. "Guys, I'd like your attention as well." Agents Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau, and Reid looked at him expectantly. "As you already know I have another book coming out in a matter of weeks. I would have never been able to complete it without your help. As such, I would be extremely pleased if you all would come to the banquet my publisher is holding in my honor."

The honor party was less of a banquet and more of a feast, black tie required. The women were happy for the excuse to dress up while the guys grumbled about it. Regardless, everyone came.

Rossi stood and approached the podium when announced. "I want to thank every single person for coming out tonight. But I want to share this acknowledgement of recognition with the very people who not only were there for the daily activities but who also made this latest book happen. I once heard someone say, 'No one will believe me when I let these ghosts outside my head'. Well, they believe. So, to the BAU team I've had the pleasure of working with for these past years I ask that the glory- should there be any- go to you."

Because of Rossi's dedication their table was a popular one as people finished their meal and began to socialize. JJ, the only one to actually bring a date, was led by her husband to the dance floor to sway to the slow music with some other brave souls.

It wasn't long before Garcia and Prentiss were, too, swept off their feet while the men of the team were left to watch.

Rossi laughed as he lifted his wine glass to his mouth. "Cheer up, boys. Your makeup is running."

Morgan scowled. "Come on, Reid. Let's scare us some foxes." He drug his reluctant wingman towards some unsuspecting ladies and soon Hotch and Rossi were watching their team cut a rug.

"Kids, huh," Rossi commented to the man next to him.

"They grow up way too fast," Hotch said as he took a sip of vino.


	8. Summer's End

Agent Derrick Morgan laughed out loud as he watched his partner Dr. Spencer Reid flop into his chair. "Now," Morgan said across his desk, "how could you be this exhausted when the baby hasn't arrived yet?"

Reid groaned. "I think it's about negative twenty degrees in my place right now."

"Is it winter there?" Morgan asked, not bothering to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"She just keeps talking about how hot it is and how she's praying for summer's end."

"Nice."

"Morgan, I had that dream again that the sun was dead. Has to do with all her negativity about the ball of gases that is needed for our survival."

Morgan moved to sit on the younger man's desk. "Reid, I hate to say it but it is partly your fault, you know. What you are going through is probably nothing to how uncomfortable she is. How much longer?"

"Nine weeks," Reid groaned.

Morgan patted him on the shoulder. "In that case, my couch is always open and winter free." 


	9. Ballad of Beaconsfield Miners

When Emily came to she quickly realized two things. One was her head was hurting something fierce. The other was that she could see nothing. She panicked at first thinking she might have suffered a huge head trauma. Then she looked up and could see faint stars in the night sky. She had fallen down into the earth. And she wasn't alone.

"Reid?" she asked, softly, afraid to scare him or to hurt her head.

He moaned then slowly stood. "Emily? What happened?"

She looked back up. "We were walking then the ground gave out. I lost my flashlight but it looks like some kind of cave or large well."

The water they were standing in sloshed as he took experimental steps around. "I would assume this water helped break our fall. Are you hurt?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I think I hit my head. It's hurting like a bitch."

A thin beam of light cut through the darkness. Reid kept the beam low to not blind her. He walked to her before directing the flashlight up to see if she was wounded.

He gently probed her temple, causing her to mutter, "Ouch!"

"It's not bad, Em. Just slightly bleeding. But we'll get it checked once we're found."

She took his light and aimed it around the area. "How will that happen? Is your cell waterproof?"

She heard the scowl in his voice. "No. Should be, though. Guess we'll have to be old fashion and yell."

"Uh, yeah," she agreed. "And the sooner the better. Look." In the faint light she had found they weren't alone. Taking up one curve of the area were several dead bodies, most of their skin gone already by the inhabiting rats taking refuge from the water.

Just as their voices were getting hoarse from emitting sounds a pair of heads blocked the night view.

"Prentiss! Reid!" It was Hotch. "Are you two hurt?"

"Bruises," Prentiss answered.

"Hold on. We'll get you out of there."

"Damn, guys," Morgan said with relief as Hotch left. "What you wouldn't do to get out of a search. Need anything?"

"How about music?" Reid asked, half kidding.

"Are you crazy?" Morgan answered back. "You think I'd risk MY tunes in your hands? Be right back."

Emily turned her head in Reid's direction. "Music?"

"There's a story of Australian miners who asked for and was provided music until they were rescued."

She snorted. "Let's hope it doesn't take our team that long to save us." 


	10. Statues

The plane trip back always seemed to be the hardest in cases like the one the BAU had just completed. Every member was silent- each, no doubt, studying the case minute by minute- overanalyzing their specific roles the last few days.

Without a word SSA Jason Gideon unearthed the chess board and meticulously placed the carved pieces down in their proper place. "Agent Prentiss, perhaps you would join me in a game?"

Although she looked as though she wanted nothing more than to say "no" she still moved to sit across from Gideon because his offer was an honor.

After the two made several moves in silence they were joined by Dr. Reid, who was always intrigued by the game, then Agent Morgan who seemed to feel left out.

It took Gideon about twenty minutes to trap Prentiss into check.

Prentiss frowned as she studied the board in which she had no more moves. "Damn. I didn't see that coming."

"I did," Reid said, predictably. He gestured to the pieces and looked at Gideon. "May I?"

Gideon stood to let the young agent take his place. "Please, be my guest." He walked a few rows back to sit next to the other SSA Aaron Hotchner. From where they sat they could hear the trio arguing.

"That's not how the board was, Morgan," Reid said.

"Listen, kid--"

Prentiss interrupted him. "You are NOT about to tell the one with the near photographic memory HE'S wrong about something, are you?"

"'We never needed much, a sliver of hope'," Gideon muttered under his breath to Hotch. "They are going to be fine."

Hotch expelled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I really hate those type of cases."

"We all do." 


	11. But Honestly

Everyone was gathering their items to go home for the night when Garcia and JJ came in arm in arm.

JJ smiled. "After a long day of paperwork we have a solution."

"A massive shredder?" Prentiss asked only halfway joking.

"Drinks!" announced Garcia. "Who's in?"

Prentiss raised her hand. "Count me in."

"Yep," Morgan seconded.

They looked to their other coworker. "Reid?" JJ asked.

He fiddled with his satchel bag strap. "I don't know."

"Oh, come on," Prentiss said. "You got some hot date or something tonight?"

Reid blushed. "Nothing like that. Just not really in the mood."

Morgan put his arm around Reid's thin shoulders. "Come on, kid. I'll even buy the first round."

Reid smiled at that. "Now I have to come to see youi pay for something."

Morgan appeared offended. "I'm hurt you would even suggest such a thing."

Morgan made good on his offer while Prentiss pledged the second.

Garcia, noticing Reid frowning into his beer, nudged him slightly. "Where are you off to with that head of yours, my little amigo?"

He shook his head. "It's really not appropriate talk for this type of setting."

JJ piped up. "We're all friends here. There should be nothing too taboo to talk about."

"There are just facets of the human nature I can't seem to comprehend. I caught an article online that was discussing different species that mate for life then stated instances where humans believed the same."

The group exchanged looks around him. "Some people believe they have one true soul mate," Garcia confirmed.

"Several species on the Earth will mate for life," Reid continued, "and when one mate dies the other loses its will to continue living. These species have it programmed in them. They have no choice. Humans have the ability to go beyond that with their higher thinking yet there are some who still choose to self-term when one mate dies. Why?"

Morgan smiled at him. "Haven't you ever felt like you would die for someone you love?"

"Love is nothing but a series of chemical and physical responses."

Prentiss made a face. "Boy, Reid, you'll woo me off my feet if you keep talking like that."

Morgan clapped his shoulder. "I'm gonna tell you this, Reid, because it'll be good for you. In high school there was this girl named Talia Baker. Boy, she was something. The kind of person who was beautiful inside and out. We dated for nearly two years and if she would have asked me I would have died right then and there for her."

"But she didn't ask," Reid said.

"Nope," Morgan said, cheerfully. "She asked me to go pro. That wasn't what I wanted out of my life and I was smart enough to realize that. Now she's married to a Saint and dating a Titan."

"Nice," commented Prentiss.

Garcia spoke up. "Mine is Julian and the feeling is mutual."

Morgan perked up. "Julian? I've never heard of this of this Julian."

"That's because you haven't listened," she shot back to him. "Who do you think does this fab hair?"

"I've met him," Prentiss said. "The guy is the prettiest man I've ever seen and prances worse then Freddie Mercury but he does killer hair."

"You should see his Queen impersonation," Garcia laughed.

Prentiss sighed in thought. "Bryan Harlow was my very first love. He was the one I would have settled down for. I would have dies for him. Instead, he died protecting me. Home invasion gone wrong."

JJ hugged her friend. "Mine's not one person. It's all of you. You're all my friends and I love every single one of you and I would take a bullet not out of duty but for the chemical responses that I feel."

Reid blushed again. "When you put it that way..."

She held up her glass for a toast. "To love."

"To love," they all agreed. 


	12. Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace

People are a very fascinating species. I suppose that's one of the reasons I became a behavioral analyst. Sociology can be an interesting course. Especially coupled with psychology but the practice of the methods is what I preferred spending my time on. Working at the Quantico Base is a dream come true.

The criminal in front of me is a sexual sadist who has preferred women although he took men in a pinch to fulfill his urge of torture, rape, and ultimate murder. A sociopath who believes the people around him are just his pawns to manipulate to fulfill his godlike whelms. An intellect who could not be reasoned with because his world already make sense to him. A killer smart enough to continue for years without getting caught and smart enough to change his MO when we were on the trail, to lawyer up instead of run his mouth, to escape instead of spending his life in jail, to capture a federal officer to ensure his own safety.

"If you let me go," I tell him, "there may be a possibility they will go lenient on you."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't BS me, Agent. If convicted they are going to put me away for 24 murders they know of. There is no leniency for me. Therefore, it wouldn't make a bit of difference if I kill you or not."

That is reassuring.

He taps the video camera he has set up. "You know the drill."

He had made all of his victims talk into the camera after the torture before killing them to give them a false hope. He has treated me differently, not bothering with all the abuse until I refused to speak into the cam, knowing death had followed. I hadn't wanted to give him the privilege of begging for my life.

He had used his fists on me and now my ribs hurt when I breathe too deeply. I also think my lip is split, my eye is black, and I am suffering a concussion.

Fine, I would speak but I wouldn't beg. I would tell from the look in his face I was going to die. I would leave a message for closure.

"Echoes and silence. Patience and grace. All of these moments I'll never replace No fear of my heart, absence of faith. All I want is to be home." I take a deep breath to keep the tears at bay. "People I've loved I have no regrets. Some I remember, some I forget. Some of them living, some of them dead....All I want is to be home." 


End file.
